


Sanji/Reader: Too Close to Home

by Chibitami



Series: Requested Scenario Collection [43]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bullying, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Feels, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, POV Third Person, Picnics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-18
Updated: 2020-08-18
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:08:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,489
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25979479
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chibitami/pseuds/Chibitami
Summary: Requested by anonymous on Tumblr: "could you do a fic of Sanji or Ace taking care of a neglected child that's story just hits a Little To Close To Home and get emotional seeing their s/o coddle the kid? thank you very much :)"
Relationships: Vinsmoke Sanji/Reader
Series: Requested Scenario Collection [43]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1577755
Comments: 2
Kudos: 58





	Sanji/Reader: Too Close to Home

Sanji was always happy to be paired off with his s/o whenever the Straw Hats explored a new island, and today was no exception. He had decided to make a date out of it, and had packed a picnic basket full of his darling's favorite foods for them to enjoy together. As the two of them walked hand-in-hand through the market of the one small town on the little island, his s/o stopped and stared off at the entrance of one of the stalls; Sanji followed ____'s gaze and noticed a disheveled little boy, about five or six years old and on the verge of tears as he hugged his knees.

Sanji followed his s/o and the two of them walked over to comfort the poor kid. "Hey," ____ said softly, bending down to be at the boy's eye level. "Are you lost, buddy? We can help you find your mom and dad, if you want." The little boy sniffled and shook his head.

"Uh-uh," he replied, his voice thick and wobbly. "I'm in trouble with my dad. I don't wanna go home…" A few tears started to fall down his face and he buried his face in his knees. "And even if I did, I be he d-doesn't want me to. He…" He started to sob. "H-he hates meeee!"

Sanji knelt down as well and saw his s/o drape their arms around the little boy, who instinctively buried his face against them chest while he bawled and let this stranger console him. "Oh, honey, I'm so sorry," ____ said softly, trying their best not to cry themselves. "Hey, why don't you have lunch with us? We can eat together and talk, and find a way to help you out." She glanced over at Sanji for help, and he put a hand on the little boy's shoulder before giving him a warm smile. 

"Yeah," he agreed, "Let's have a picnic together! It's hard to feel better with an empty stomach after all." He reached for the picnic basket and opened the lid to show the little boy some of the food he packed; immediately, the smell of fresh-baked bread and sweet jam made the boy's mouth water a little as his sobs died down to a bit of heavy breathing and hiccuping cries. Sanji held up one of the sandwiches he'd made. "Do you like croissants?"

The little boy eyed the large flaky pastry and wiped his nose with his sleeve. "Um...I d-dunno," he replied with a sniffle. "I never had a cruh-saunt before." He looked up at Sanji with wide eyes and cautiously accepted the sandwich from him, holding it with both of his tiny hands. "W-will it still taste good if I accidentally get boogers on it?" He wiped his nose with his sleeve again, and Sanji saw his s/o hiding a smile behind their hand at such a question being asked so solemnly and seriously. Sanji nodded, and the little boy let ____ help him up; the three of them left the town's streets and followed a path into the woods where they could enjoy a picnic together.

The little boy sat in between ____ and Sanji, enjoying their company (and delicious food). Not wanting to immediately bring up whatever was bothering him, ____ asked basic questions and made light conversation: "What's your name", "Do you have any pets", "When's your birthday", etc. Sanji and ____ learned that his name was Saeji, he didn't have a pet but he liked feeding the seagulls that came to the beach, and his sixth birthday was a few months ago. After Saeji devoured a cream-filled bun, he wiped his chin and looked up at Sanji and tilted his head. "Do you guys have brothers or sisters?" 

Sanji shifted a little in his seat and nodded silently. "Some, yeah," he replied, hoping he could change the subject as soon as possible. 

Saeji glanced down and fidgeted with his fingers, for some reason not wanting to face Sanji directly. "Are they...are they nice?" His voice was quiet. "Or not?"

Sanji hesitated for a moment and locked eyes with his s/o. He'd opened up to them about his past in Germa, and the abuse he suffered under his brothers and his father. Now that he was on the other side, he wasn't sure what to do or say. Sanji put a gentle hand on Saeji's shoulder, and when Saeji looked up at him again he could see the tears forming in the corners of his eyes. "My brothers were mean, actually," he replied. "Really,  _ really  _ mean."

Saeji nodded slightly and then sat up to hug his knees to partially hide his face as he talked. "Mine too," he replied in a sullen voice. "I'm the baby, so they don't let me play with 'em because I can't keep up when they play tag and stuff." He rubbed his knee absentmindedly with his fingers. "And whenever I try to play, they all gang up on me and trip me so I can't ever win." 

____ put their arm on Saeji's other shoulder to console him. "I'm sorry," they replied softly. 

Saeji looked up at her quizzically. "How come? It's not  _ your  _ fault," he asked.

"I know," ____ replied, "But it's awful that you've been hurt like that by your older siblings. Big brothers and sisters are supposed to look out for their younger siblings, and care for them."

Saeji's eyes were downcast as he rested his chin in his hands, propped up with his elbows against his knees. "I wish they did that," he muttered. "My mom used to put them in time out and stuff whenever they were mean to me, but she's gone. And my dad's always busy at work, so he gets mad when I go to him and ask him to make them stop. He says I gotta 'toughen up and deal with it'...'cause if I keep acting like a runt, they're just gonna keep treating me like one--'specially if I keep tattling." His voice cracked a bit, and he leaned forward to hide behind himself as he started to cry again. "And I know it's my own fault 'cause I can't man up, so they're just gonna keep being mean forever and--"

"Saeji."

Sanji bit the inside of his cheek to take his mind off of the sinking pain in his chest that had been building as Saeji talked about his family; he knew exactly what that was like, and the idea of another kid suffering what he went through left him heartbroken. And when ____ interrupted Saeji's tearful confession, Sanji stared at them, surprised by how firm their voice was. 

____ moved closer and put their arms around Saeji in a sidelong hug. "None of this, and I mean  _ not a single bit of it _ , is your fault," she insisted. "Nobody deserves to be treated that way, especially by their own family. They don't have to trip you and make you feel like you don't belong, just because you're  _ you. _ " They hugged them a little tighter. "You aren't a runt, you're a kid. And they aren't mistreating you because you're weak or not good enough; they're doing that because they're fuc--because they're... _ jerks _ ," ____ corrected. "I don't know why they'd do something so horrible to their own family, but you being their little brother and being younger or smaller than them is NO excuse to pick on you. That's what bullies do, not good siblings."

Saeji froze for a while in ____'s embrace and then slowly returned their hug by reaching up to hug them with his small arms. He turned to face them all the way and buried his face in their chest, sniffling and trembling a bit while he clung to them. As he began to cry again, he let them soothingly stroke his head and shoulders. "Th-th-thanks," he hiccuped. "Nobody's said anything nice to me like that...since…" He sniffled again. "Since my m-mom…"

Sanji hadn't realized that he had been crying until he felt the tears sliding down his chin drop and land on his legs. Even with the little bit of support Reiju tried to give him when they were kids, he desperately wished that someone like ____ could have told him that when he was Saeji's age. Even as an adult, there were still nights where he wondered if he really did deserve everything his brothers put him through, if his father was right in abandoning him for not being the son he wanted. But hearing ____ so fervently insist the complete opposite, and give this poor boy the comfort that Sanji's own mom gave him--those brief moments of love that looking back on it, kept him alive when he felt hopeless--it made him more grateful than ever that he had someone like them in his life now.

  
  



End file.
